Strap guide and tank mounting fixture

ABSTRACT

A system for enabling securing devices configured to hold fuels, such as gas cylinders, to frames is provided. The system includes an isolator fastened to the device configured to hold fuel and a strap that is attached to the frame. The isolator includes barriers on either side that prevent longitudinal slipping of the strap and ridges disposed between the barriers, which create cushioning between the strap and the device configured to hold fuel.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/613,928, filed Mar. 21, 2012, which applicationis entirely incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Devices configured to hold fuel such as gas cylinders or tanks,including cylinders holding compressed natural gas mounted onnatural-gas-powered vehicles, need to be secured to the vehicle frame.The devices configured to hold fuel are sometimes held in place bystraps with the aid of isolators. An isolator can be disposed around aportion of the device configured to hold fuel.

Challenges remain, however, for securing devices configured to holdfuel, such as gas cylinders which may be side-mounted, or roof-mountedto vehicles including trucks. For example, longitudinal sliding orcircumferential spinning of the devices configured to hold fuel, such asgas cylinders, must be minimized to prevent breakage and reduceexplosion hazards. The challenges are particularly significant for largegas cylinders, and other devices configured to hold fuel such as tankscarrying a fuel used to power vehicles.

Thus, a need exists for improved systems and methods of mounting fuelcontainers to vehicles.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Some aspects of exemplary implementations of the disclosure provideisolators that may be fastened to devices configured to hold fuel, suchas cylinders or tanks (which may be referred to as tank body or tankbodies) by one or more of various systems, devices, or methods. Theisolators can be wound into the cylinders by strands, strings or tiesthat are part of the extruded isolator shape, attached to the cylindervia an adhesive, secured by means of increased friction resulting fromridges or ribs on the isolator surface, secured by means of flaps on theisolator, or secured to the cylinder by some other means in addition tothe natural tension of the isolator material. In some cases, isolatorssecured to the cylinders in this manner may help prevent the cylindersfrom spinning once the cylinders are further secured to the truck framewith straps.

Some aspects of exemplary implementations of the disclosure provideisolators configured to interact with straps that help secure the deviceconfigured to hold fuel. The device can be secured to a frame, and theframe can be a part of a vehicle, such as a truck. The isolators mayhave exposed ribs or ridges on the surface on which the isolator comesinto contact with the strap, providing improved cushioning or additionalisolation between the cylinder and the strap due to increased distancebetween the cylinder and the strap and the padding effect of the ribs orridges. This cushioning and padding reduces the strain and friction fromthe contact between the strap and the isolator, reducing strap fatigueand wear that may occur as a result of the friction. In some cases, thecushioning also provides additional space between the device configuredto hold fuel and the strap that helps hold the device in place. Thisadded spacing accommodates expansion of the fuel tank, such as a naturalgas tank, caused by the changes in pressure of the gas or vaporizationof a liquid fuel. Without the added spacing between the strap and thecylinder as provided by an isolator having ribs or ridges, the strapmight break due to the expansion of the tank due to an increase in gaspressure.

Exemplary implementations of the disclosure include the presence of apair of barriers or ears on both sides of the isolator. The earslongitudinally secure straps used to hold tanks onto a frame so that thestraps cannot slide off the rubber isolator. If a strap were to slideoff the isolator, it would no longer tightly hold the device configuredto hold fuel, such as a gas cylinder, in place, resulting in likelyslippage and possible breakage of the device.

Additional aspects and advantages of the disclosure will become readilyapparent to those skilled in this art from the following detaileddescription, wherein only illustrative embodiments of the presentdisclosure are shown and described. As will be realized, the presentdisclosure is capable of other and different exemplary implementations,and its several details are capable of modifications in various obviousrespects, all without departing from the disclosure. Accordingly, thedrawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature,and not as restrictive.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in thisspecification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent asif each individual publication, patent, or patent application wasspecifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some of the features of the disclosure are set forth with particularityin the appended claims. A better understanding of the features andadvantages herein will be obtained by reference to the followingdetailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in whichthe principles of the disclosure are utilized, and the accompanyingdrawings of which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a gas cylinder secured to a frame by a strap and anisolator that includes ribs, flaps, and ears, in accordance with anembodiment disclosed herein;

FIG. 2 illustrates a gas cylinder secured to a frame by a strap and anisolator that includes ribs, flaps, and strands wound into the gascylinder, in accordance with an embodiment disclosed herein;

FIG. 3 provides another view of an isolator, cylinder, strap, and frameassembly in accordance with an embodiment disclosed herein;

FIG. 4 illustrates a vehicle comprising a side-mounted device configuredto hold fuel, the device having a longitudinal axis, in accordance withan embodiment disclosed herein;

FIG. 5 provides an additional view of a tank securing mechanism, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 provides an external view of a tank securing mechanism, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While various exemplars have been shown and described herein, it will beobvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are providedby way of example only. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutionsmay occur to those skilled in the art without departing from theinvention described herein. It should be understood that variousalternatives to the exemplars described herein may be employed inpracticing the disclosure.

The disclosure provides systems and devices for securing fuel-holdingdevices to frames, where the frames are sometimes attached to vehicles,in accordance with aspects of the disclosure. Various aspects of theinvention described herein may be applied to any of the particularapplications set forth below or for any other types of securing systems.The disclosure may be applied as a standalone system or method, or aspart of a vehicle or other system that utilizes fuel. It shall beunderstood that different aspects of the disclosure can be appreciatedindividually, collectively, or in combination with each other.

Isolators Secured to Fuel Tanks/Cylinders

Some aspects of the disclosure provide isolators that are fastened tofuel cylinders, tanks, vessels, or any other type of device capable ofcontaining a gaseous or liquid fuel by one or more securing techniques.Ring-shaped isolators can be disposed around the circumference of thefuel tank or cylinder, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,674 and U.S.Pat. Pub. No. 20060061081, which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety. The isolators may be formed from rubber or otherelastomeric materials, which are described in greater detail elsewhereherein. Such isolators can, to some degree, protect the strap fromwearing down by rubbing against the tank or cylinder surface. Suchisolators may also function as dampers to vibrations that may occur onthe vehicle and/or tank. However, when isolators are not secured to thetank or cylinder, or weakly secured to the tank or cylinder merely bythe tension of the isolator material, such as rubber, glass fiber,carbon fiber, polymer or a composite material, the tank or cylinder mayspin circumferentially or slip longitudinally within the strap. Thespinning and slipping can damage the cylinder and potentially lead tobuild-up of gas pressure in an enclosed area, creating an explosionhazard. The spinning or slipping can cause the tank valve to loosen orcause damage to the fuel tubing, potentially causing a rapiddepressurization or explosion hazard.

In some aspects of implementations, the isolator can be secured to thetank by means such as adhesion with a material such as glue, by frictioncreated from the surface, ridges or ribs on the isolator, by strands,strings or ties that are a part of the isolator, by flaps that are apart of the isolator, by a combination of some or all of thesetechniques, or by some other means.

With reference to FIG. 1, which illustrates some aspects of thedisclosure, a cylinder 100 may have an isolator 110 disposed around itscircumference. The cylinder may be any fuel container, which may havevarious shapes, dimensions, proportions, or configurations. Acylindrical fuel tank is provided by way of illustration, but is not tobe limiting.

Among other elements, the isolator 110 may include ears 120. Ears mayextend out of the isolator surface. Ears may protrude radially out ofthe isolator. A strap 130 sits on isolator 110 and may be secured to theframe 140. In some instances, the strap may be positioned between a pairof ears. The ears may prevent the strap from sliding too much axiallyrelative to the isolator. The isolator may further include flaps 150,which may create additional friction that can help prevent cylinder 100from spinning and sliding. Flaps 150 may provide increased surface areafor the contact of isolator 110 to the cylinder 100, thereby reducingthe likelihood of the cylinder spinning or the isolator sliding off thecylinder. The isolator may also include ribs 160 that project out on theinner (in contact with the cylinder 100) and/or outer (in contact withthe strap 130) surface of the isolator. The ribs may provide variationto the surface profile of the isolator, which may increase deformabilityand/or friction of the isolator surface. In this example, both flaps 150and ribs 160 may provide isolator structure that helps advantageouslyfasten the isolator 110 to the cylinder 100, which may ultimatelyimprove the way in which cylinder 100 is secured to frame 140 by strap130.

Flaps 150 may extend longitudinally beyond the ears 120. Flaps may beprovided on opposing sides of a pair of ears 120, sandwiching a centralportion upon which a strap may lie. Flaps may be thinner than the ears120. In some instances, flaps do not project as far out radially asears.

Flaps 150 may be thicker or thinner than other parts of isolator 100. Insome cases, flaps can range from about 1 mm to about 100 mm inthickness. In some instances, flaps 150 can be about 1 mm, or about 5mm, or about 10 mm, or about 15 mm, or about 20 mm, or about 25 mm, orabout 30 mm, or about 40 mm, or about 50 mm, or about 100 mm thick.Flaps may have a homogeneous or a non-homogeneous thickness profile. Forinstance, the flaps may have a thickness profile that forms a ramp fromthe ears to the tank surface. The flaps may slope downward from an earportion of the isolator to the tank surface. In some cases, flaps 150have a surface area in the range of about 5 cm² to about 500 cm², orabout 5 cm², or about 10 cm², or about 20 cm², or about 30 cm², or about40 cm², or about 50 cm², or about 60 cm², or about 70 cm², or about 80cm², or about 90 cm², or about 100 cm², or about 500 cm².

Cylinder 100 may be formed of a metal such as steel, aluminum, glassfiber, carbon fiber, polymer, or a composite material such as carbonfiber reinforced polymer, another suitable material, or a combinationthereof. The cylinder may contain a fuel therein, such as a gaseousfuel.

FIG. 2 illustrates another example of an isolator, cylinder, strap, andframe assembly according to one implementation. Cylinder 100 may haveisolator 110 disposed around its circumference. The cylinder may alsohave ears 120, strap 130, frame 140, and ribs 160. In addition, strands180 may be attached to the isolator and wound around the cylinder 100.In some cases, strands 180 may be wound around the main body of thedevice configured to hold fuel, rather than the narrower neck of thedevice. As an example, FIG. 3 shows the location of cylinder neckrelative to the cylinder main body. Strands 180 may provide additionalmeans of securing the isolator to the cylinder, and because the strandscan be attached to the isolator and can thus be thus a part of theisolator structure, spinning and sliding of the cylinder is minimized.Any description herein of said strands may apply to any strand-basedcovered as described further herein, and vice versa. Analogous to someaspects of the disclosure shown in FIG. 1, ribs 160 in FIG. 2 mayprovide a separate or combined mechanism for securing the isolator tothe tank.

In some cases, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may depict sequential steps in theinitial securing (FIG. 1) and further securing (FIG. 2) of isolator 110to cylinder 100. In FIG. 1, isolator 110 is secured to cylinder 100 byflaps 150 and ribs 160. In FIG. 2, strands 180 is wound over the flaps(the flaps are obscured) to further secure isolator 110 to cylinder 100.

FIG. 5 provides an additional view of a tank securing mechanism. A quasicut-away view may be provided to illustrate various components of themechanism. A tank 500 may have an isolator 510 disposed thereon. Theisolator may circumferentially encompass the tank. The isolator may beformed of an elastomeric material that is snugly placed around thetank's circumference. The isolator may have one or more parts, which mayinclude a pair of ears 520, a central portion 525 between the pair ofears, and a pair of flaps 550 on the opposing sides of the ears relativeto the central portion. The ears may protrude radially outward from theisolator. The central portion between the ears may have a lower profilethan the ears. The central portion may optionally have ribs or ridges. Astrap 530 may be positioned over the central portion and between theears. The strap may have a circumference that is smaller than the outercircumference of the isolator defined by the ears, which may prevent itfrom slipping out over the ears. The flaps may extend laterally beyondthe ears. In some instances, the flaps may have a sloping surface.

Strands 580 may be wound around a portion of the tank 500 and a portionof the isolator 510. The strands may be wound circumferentially aroundthe tank and/or isolator. The windings of the strands may cover all or aportion of the tank surface and all or a portion of the flaps 550 of theisolator. The windings of the strands may cover a portion of the tanksurface adjacent to the flaps and may continue on over the flaps up tothe ears 520 of the isolator.

A winding region may encompass a continuously wound region on the tankand/or isolator. For example, a first winding region may be provided ona first side of an isolator, and a second winding region may be providedon a second side of the isolator. In some instances, a single strand maybe wound per winding region. Alternatively, multiple strands may bewound into a winding region. The strands may be wound in a concentratedfashion (e.g., little or no exposed underlying surface in the windingregion), or may be wound in a spaced fashion (e.g., more exposedunderlying surface). In some instances, the strands may be so tightlywound in a concentrated fashion that there is no exposed underlyingsurface. There may be one, two, three or more layers of winding on thesurface. In some instances, less than 50%, 40%, 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%,5%, 3%, 1% or 0.1% of the underlying surface may be exposed in thewinding region. Additional embodiments and/or characteristics of strandsare described elsewhere herein.

Any description herein of strands may apply to any other type ofstrand-based covers, such as mats, fabrics, netting, or any otherconfiguration, as described elsewhere herein.

FIG. 6 provides an external view of a tank securing mechanism. Anisolator 610 may be provided around a circumference of a tank. Theisolator may include ears 620, central region 625, or flaps. One or morestrap 630 may be located around the isolator on the central region. Thestrap may be located between a pair of ears.

Strands 680 may be wound around a portion of the tank and isolator,thereby securing the isolator to the tank. The strands may be wound in aconcentrated or looser fashion, as described herein. In some instances,winding regions 685 a, 685 b may be provided on both sides of theisolator, thereby securing both flaps of the isolator to the tank. Thestrands, as illustrated, may cover a portion of the tank and the flapsof the isolator. The sloping profile of the isolator flaps may or maynot be discernible beneath the strand layers. Any description herein ofthe strands may apply to any other type of strand-based covers asdescribed in greater detail elsewhere herein.

FIG. 3 provides another view of an isolator, cylinder, strap, and frameassembly in accordance with one or more implementations. FIG. 3illustrates that a device configured to hold fuel may have more than oneisolator disposed around its circumference. In some cases, as shown inFIG. 3, the isolator is disposed around the main body of the device,such as the main body of a cylinder, rather than around the neck of thedevice.

In some embodiments, one, two, three, four or more isolators may beprovided on a tank. In some instances, each isolator may have strandswound over at least a portion of the isolator, as described inembodiments elsewhere herein. For instance, each isolator may have apair of flaps that may be at least partially covered by strands. Theisolators may be spaced in any fashion along the length of the tank. Insome instances, the regions between the isolators are covered in strandsas a single winding region. Alternatively, only portions of the regionsbetween the isolators are covered as multiple winding regions.

A frame, such as frame 140, may be a part of a vehicle, and a vehiclemay be any time of vehicle known in the art. A vehicle may be a truck,such as a light duty truck (e.g., class 1, class 2 or class 3), mediumduty truck (e.g., class 4, class 5 or class 6), or heavy duty truck(e.g., class 7 or class 8). Vehicles include but are not limited tocars, wagons, vans, buses, high-occupancy vehicles, dump trucks, tractortrailer trucks, or any other vehicles. The vehicle may have any weight.For example, the vehicle may weigh more than or equal to about 5000 lbs,7,500 lbs, 10,000 lbs, 12,500 lbs, 15,000 lbs, 17,500 lbs, 20,000 lbs,22,500 lbs, 25,000 lbs, 30,000 lbs, or 35,000 lbs.

A device configured to hold fuel, such as cylinder 100, may be capableof containing a fuel with a certain amount of pressure. For example, thecylinder may be capable of containing a fuel having a range betweenabout 100 psi and about 10000 psi, or having less than or equal to about10000 psi, 8000 psi, 7000 psi, 6500 psi, 6000 psi, 5500 psi, 5000 psi,4750 psi, 4500 psi, 4250 psi, 4000 psi, 3750 psi, 3500 psi, 3250 psi,3000 psi, 2750 psi, 2500 psi, 2000 psi, 1500 psi, 1000 psi, 500 psi, 300psi, 100 psi, or less. Alternatively, a fuel can be a liquid, such asliquefied natural gas.

A device configured to hold fuel, such as cylinder 100, may be capableof containing a gaseous fuel, such as natural gas, therein. Anyreference to gaseous fuel or fuel may include natural gas. This mayinclude liquefied natural gas (LNG) or compressed natural gas (CNG). Agaseous fuel may include hydrogen or hydrogen based gas, hythane, H2CNG,or any other gas.

A device configured to hold fuel, such as cylinder 100, may have one ormore fuel output. The fuel output may transfer the fuel to another partof the vehicle, such as an engine. In one example, the fuel may beoutput to mix with air in the cylinder of an engine. The fuel may beused in the process of propelling the vehicle.

A fuel holding device or vessel can be made from steel, aluminum, glassfiber, carbon fiber, polymer, carbon fiber reinforced polymer, or othersuitable material or a combination of materials. A device configured tohold fuel can be mounted on a vehicle in any number of ways, such asside-mounted, rear-mounted, behind-the-cab mounted, or roof-mounted.One, two or more tanks may be mounted on a single side of the vehicle,or on each side of the vehicle. The side-mounted tanks may at leastpartially protrude from a side surface of the vehicle. FIG. 4illustrates a side-mounted device configured to hold fuel attached to avehicle, according to one or more implementations.

Straps, such as strap 130, can be made of various materials, includingsteel, carbon fiber, fiberglass (herein also “glass fiber”), a compositematerial such as a material containing a first component and a secondcomponent, such as a ceramic, metal, glass fiber, carbon fiber, andor/polymer or another suitable material or combination thereof.

Isolators, such as isolator 110, can be made from various materials,including rubber, plastic, thermoplastic materials, thermosettingmaterials, and self-healing polymers or composites, glass fiber, carbonfiber, plastic, a composite material such as carbon fiber reinforcedpolymer, or combinations thereof. The structures of the isolator,including features such as central region, flaps 150, ribs 160 and thepair of ears 120 can prepared by methods such as extrusion, injectionmolding, vulcanization, rotational molding, thermoforming, andthermoplastic compression molding, other known methods or combinationsof known methods. These features may be integrally formed with the restof the isolator into a unitary form, or may be attached to the isolatorvia adhesion, chemical bonding, or other techniques described herein.Specific materials that can used to make the isolators and their variousfeatures include one or more of rubber, polyethylene, polypropylene,other polyalkenes, polyglycols, poly-acids (such as polylactic acids),poly-thiols, disulfide-crosslinked polyalkenes, polyethyleneterphthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, or another suitablematerial.

In some cases, materials from which isolators are formed havecompressive strength. In some cases, the compressive strength of thematerial is in a range of about 5 MPa to about 250 MPa, or at leastabout 5 MPa, or 15 MPa, or 15 MPa, or 25 MPa, or 35 MPa, or 45 MPa, or55 MPa, or 65 MPa, or 75 MPa, or 85 MPa, or 100 MPa, or 150 MPa, or 250MPa.

In some cases, materials from which isolators are formed have tensilestrength. In some cases, the tensile strength of the material is in arange of about 5 MPa to about 250 MPa, or at least about 5 MPa, or 15MPa, or 15 MPa, or 25 MPa, or 35 MPa, or 45 MPa, or 55 MPa, or 65 MPa,or 75 MPa, or 85 MPa, or 100 MPa, or 150 MPa, or 250 MPa.

In some cases, materials from which isolators are formed have arelatively high coefficient of friction with the surface of the deviceconfigured to hold fuel, which can be formed of aluminum, steel, glassfiber, carbon fiber, polymer, carbon fiber reinforced polymer, or othermaterials described above. In some cases, the coefficient of friction μis in the range of about 0.05 to about 1.0, or at least about 0.05, or0.1, or 0.15, or 0.2, or 0.25, or 0.3, or 0.35, or 0.4, or 0.55, or 0.5,or 0.55, or 0.6, or 0.65, or 0.7, or 0.75, or 0.8, or 0.85, or 0.9, or0.95, or 1.0.

Strand-based covers, such as windings formed from strands (e.g., 180,580, 680), may be formed from the same or different material as otherparts of the isolator (i.e., the part of the isolator other than thestrands, such as isolator 110 depicted in FIG. 2 minus strands). Forexample, the windings, such as strands, can be formed of a glass fiber,carbon fiber, polymer, a composite material such as carbon fiberreinforced polymer, or a combination thereof. In some cases, thewindings are a part of an extruded isolator shape, and can be made bytechniques described above, such as injection molding. In other cases,the strands are attached to the isolator body via an adhesive (seebelow), including by chemical bonding. The strands can be located ononly one side of the isolator, or on both sides of the isolator, asdepicted in FIG. 2. In some cases, the strands are secured to thesurface of the device configured to hold fuel, such as cylinder 100,500, by winding. In some cases, the strands are wound at least once, orat least twice, or at least three times, or at least four times, or atleast 5 times, or at least 10 times, or at least 20 times, or at least50 times, or at least 100 times, or at least 1000 times, or at least5000 times, or at least 10000 times around the circumference of thedevice configured to hold fuel. In some cases, the winding holds theisolator against the surface of the device configured to hold fuel withthe force of at least about 20 MPa.

In some cases, strands 180 (as in FIG. 2 or FIG. 5) may be wound overflaps 150 such that flaps 150 may be completely covered (uncovered flaps150 are depicted in FIG. 1). In some cases, when space remains betweenadjacent windings of strands 180 and/or when the windings do not extendto the outer edges of flaps 150, flaps 150 may be partially covered. Insome cases as when, for example, windings of strands 180 extend beyondthe outer edges of flaps 150, or when flaps 150 are not present, strands180 can come directly into contact with the surface of cylinder 100. Insome cases, the surface of cylinder 100 can be partially covered bystrands 180. In other cases, the surface of cylinder 100 can be fullycovered by strands 180. In some cases, as when space remains betweenadjacent windings of strands 180 and/or when the windings do not extendto the outer edges of cylinder 100, the surface of cylinder 100 can bepartially covered by strands 180.

In some cases, strands 180 may be wound around cylinder 100 and/or flaps150 such that space remains between some or all adjacent pairs ofindividual windings. If space remains between individual windings,cylinder 100 and/or flaps 150 can be partially covered. In some cases,no space remains between any two adjacent pairs of individual windingsof strands 180. In some cases, additional windings of strands 180 can bewound on top of the windings of strands 180 that are in contact withcylinder 100 and/or flaps 150. In such cases, the additional windingsare not in contact with 100 and/or flaps 150. In some cases, there canbe more than two layers of windings of strands 180.

In some cases, windings of strands 180 are layered evenly throughout thesurface of the cylinder 100 such that thickness of the windings ofstrands 180 is substantially the same any parts of the surface of thecylinder 100 that are covered by the strands. In some cases, windings ofstrands 180 are layered unevenly such that the thickness of the windingsof strands 180 covering the surface of the cylinder 100 varies. In somecases, the thickness of the windings of strands 180 gradually increasesas the distance away from ears 120 increases. In other cases, thethickness of the windings of strands 180 gradually decreases as thedistance away from ears 120 increases.

In some cases, the longitudinal distance between the windings of strands180 is in the range of about 0 mm to about 10 mm, or at least about 0.0mm, or about 0.1 mm, or about 0.5 mm, or about 1 mm, or about 1.5 mm, orabout 2 mm, or about 2.5 mm, or about 3 mm, or about 3.5 mm, or about 4mm, or about 4.5 mm, or about 5 mm, or about 5.5 mm, or about 6.0 mm, orabout 6.5 mm, or about 7 mm, or about 7.5 mm, or about 8 mm, or about8.5 mm, or about 9 mm, or about 9.5 mm, or about 10 mm.

The strands may be wound in the same direction, or may be wound inmultiple directions. For example, the strands may all be wound in aclockwise direction when viewing a cross-section of the tankcircumference, or all may be wound in a counter-clockwise direction.Alternatively, a mix may be provided of strands mixed in clockwise andcounter-clockwise directions.

In some cases, the windings of strands 180 help prevent isolator 110from moving longitudinally along the surface of cylinder 100. In somecases, the windings of strands 180 help prevent the cylinder 100 fromspinning. In some cases, longitudinal movement or spinning of cylinder100 is reduced by the assembly of isolator 110 and strap 130.

In some cases, the strands have a tubular shape. In some cases, thediameter of the strands is in the range of about 0.1 cm to about 1.0 cmis at least about 0.1 cm, or 0.15 cm, or 0.20 cm, or 0.25 cm, or 0.30cm, or 0.45 cm, or 0.50 cm, or 0.55 cm, or 0.60 cm, or 0.65 cm, or 0.70cm, or 0.75 cm, or 0.80 cm, or 0.85 cm, or 0.90 cm, or 0.95 cm, or 1.0cm.

Any description herein of strands or windings may apply to any othertype of strand-based covers. For example, strand-based covers mayinclude strands on their own, as part of a fabric, cloth, mesh, net, ormat. In some instances, strand-based covers may incorporate materialsthat are made from a plurality of strands. The strand-based covers mayinclude strands that have been woven or knotted together. The strandsmay have any characteristic, as described elsewhere herein. In someinstances, the strand-based covers may include textiles where thestrands forming the textiles may or may not have the characteristics ofthe wound strands described herein. Alternatively, any description ofstrand-based covers may include materials that are not formed fromstrands, such as homogeneous mats, covers, or tapes. A layer of thestrand-based covers may or may not expose any underlying surface.

The strand-based covers may encircle the entirety or more of thecircumference of the tank and/or portion of the isolator. Thestrand-based covers may encircle at least 99.9%, 99.5%, 99%, 97%, 95%,90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, or 50% of the circumference of the tank and/orisolator. The strand-based covers may encircle at least a portion of thetank and flaps of the isolator. The strand-based cover may form acontinuous piece that covers both the tank and flaps of the isolator. Insome instances, a single layer of strand-based cover may be disposedover the underlying surface. Alternatively, multiple layers ofstrand-based cover may be provided over the underlying surface. Multipleportions of the strand-based cover or covers may overlap. Thestrand-based covers may be secured to the tank and/or portion of theisolator with aid of an adhesive.

In some cases, isolators, such as isolator 110, may be secured to deviceconfigured to hold fuel, such as cylinder 100, by an adhesive. Theadhesive can be glue, solvent based adhesive, polymer dispersionadhesive, contact adhesive, hot-melt adhesive, reactive adhesive (suchas polyester resin, polyurethane resin, or acrylic polymer), or anotheradhesive. In some cases, the adhesive creates a chemical bond betweenthe surface of the isolator and the surface of the device configured tohold fuel.

In some instances, strand-based covers, such as wound strands may alsobe secured to the device and/or isolator with aid of an adhesive, suchas those described herein.

Isolators Configured to Interact with Straps

Another aspect of the disclosure provides isolators with ribbed surfacesthat can interact with the straps that hold the device configured tohold fuel in place in place. Ribs, herein also “ridges,” improve the wayin which the isolator protects the strap from the device configured tohold fuel, and vice versa. Ribs provide cushioning for the strap, and indoing so in effect increase the distance between the strap and thesurface of the device configured to hold fuel. This reduces the frictionbetween the strap and the fuel containing as transmitted by the isolatorsurface, as ribs of the isolator absorb some of the pressure applied bythe cylinder to the strap and vice versa. Ribs can be a part of theisolator structure and project out on both the inner (in contact withthe device configured to hold fuel) and outer (in contact with the strapor other securing structure) surface of the isolator. Rib structures canbe fashioned by injection molding or other techniques described above.

The ribs or ridges can be hollow or filled with the material with whichthe isolator body is made, or with another material. The ribs can bespaced close or far apart. In some cases, the distance between the ribscan be in the range of about 0.1 cm to about 10 cm, or about 0.1 cm, or0.2 cm, or 0.3 cm, or 0.4 cm, or 0.5 cm, or 0.6 cm, or 0.7 cm, or 0.8cm, or 0.9 cm, or 1 cm, or 2 cm, or 3 cm, or 4 cm, or 5 cm, or 6 cm, or7 cm, or 8 cm, or 9 cm, or 10 cm, or longer.

In some instances, the ribs or ridges can be substituted with othershapes that may have similar effects as the ribs or ridges, such ashelping reduce the slippage of the strap 160. In some cases, grooves,bumps, indentation, or protrusions, or combinations thereof, maycomprise the isolator body in addition or in the alternative to the ribsor ridges.

In some instances, ribs or ridges can be parallel to the strap, as forexample in the case of ribs 130 or strap 160 in FIGS. 1 and 2. In othercases, the ribs or ridges can be perpendicular to the strap. In someinstances, the ribs or ridges can be disposed at an oblique angle to thestrap.

A device configured to hold fuel, such as cylinder 100 depicted in FIGS.1 and 2, may be subject to pressure variations. When at least onecomponent of the fuel is a gas, the pressure of the gas may vary inaccordance with, for example, the ideal gas law. The ideal gas law canbe expressed as PV=nRT, where P is pressure of gas, V is volume of gas,n is the number of moles of gas, T is temperature, and R is the idealgas constant. Thus, when the temperature of the gas increases, e.g.,because of an increase in the ambient temperature, the pressure of thegas may also increase, and the volume of the gas may alternatively oradditionally increase as well. In some cases, the device configured tohold fuel will expand, or “breathe,” with the changes in pressure andvolume. Breathing may change the diameter of cylinder 100 by adifference in the range from about 0.01 cm to about 25 cm, or at leastabout 0.01 cm, or 0.05 cm, or 0.1 cm, 0.2 cm, or 0.3 cm, or 0.4 cm, or0.5 cm, or 0.6 cm, or 0.7 cm, or 0.8 cm, or 0.9, or 1 cm, or 5 cm, or 10cm, or 15 cm, or 20 cm, or 25 cm.

As the device configured to hold fuel, such as cylinder 100 depicted inFIGS. 1 and 2, expands, the pressure on the isolator 110 and strap 130,depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, may in turn increase. In the absence of ribs160, the pressure from the expanding fuel tank may cause strain in thestrap 130, possibly causing it to rupture, at which point cylinder 100would become unsecured. The cushioning provided by ribs 160, however,may effectively increase the distance between the cylinder 100 and strap130, reducing the possibility of strap 130 breakage due to the expansionof cylinder 100 and concomitant friction between cylinder 100 and strap130. In some cases, the effective distance between cylinder 100 andstrap 130 due to cushioning by ribs 160 is in the range of about 0.1 cmto about 25 cm, or about 0.1 cm, or 0.5 cm, or 1 cm, or 2 cm, or 3 cm,or 4 cm, or 5 cm, or 6 cm, or 7 cm, or 8 cm, or 9 cm, or 10 cm, or 11cm, or 12 cm, or 13 cm, or 14 cm, or 15 cm, or 16 cm, or 17 cm, or 18cm, or 19 cm, or 20 cm, or 21 cm, or 22 cm, or 23 cm, or 24 cm, or 25cm, or longer.

Ribs 160 may have material properties. For example, the ribs may havecompressive strength (e.g., modulus) of at least about 5 MPa, or 15 MPa,or 15 MPa, or 25 MPa, or 35 MPa, or 45 MPa, or 55 MPa, or 65 MPa, or 75MPa, or 85 MPa, or 100 MPa, or 150 MPa, or 250 MPa, or greater, ortensile strength of at least about 5 MPa, or 15 MPa, or 15 MPa, or 25MPa, or 35 MPa, or 45 MPa, or 55 MPa, or 65 MPa, or 75 MPa, or 85 MPa,or 100 MPa, or 150 MPa, or 250 MPa, or greater. For example, ribs 160may have the tensile strength of 15 MPa and a modulus of 10 MPa. Theseproperties may enable ribs 160 to withstand pressure and friction fromthe cylinder 100 and strap 130.

Isolators Configured to Prevent Longitudinal Slipping

Another aspect of the invention provides isolators that include barrierspreventing the straps from moving longitudinally, which may result inthe strap sliding off the isolator and coming into direct contact withthe device configured to hold fuel. Examples of barriers are a pair ofears 120 depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. The barriers, such as ears 120, canhave a greater height than ridges, such as ribs 160. In some cases, thebarriers may have a height in the range of at least about 1 cm to about90 cm, or of at least about 1 cm, or about 5 cm, or about 10 cm, orabout 20 cm, or about 30 cm, or about 40 cm, or about 50 cm, or about 60cm, or about 70 cm, or about 80 cm, or about 90 cm, or higher, from thesurface of the device configured to hold fuel, such as cylinder 100.Strap 130 is disposed between the pair of barriers, such as the pair ofears 120, so that the strap is prevented from slipping or sliding offthe isolator body in the longitudinal directions.

In some instances, the frame to which the strap secures the deviceconfigured to hold fuel can be a part of a vehicle. A vehicle may have alongitudinal axis. The longitudinal axis may or may not be parallel to adirection of motion for the vehicle. A device configured to hold fuelmay have a longitudinal axis. In some embodiments, the longitudinal axisof the tank may be substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of thevehicle. An example of the longitudinal axis of the tank is depicted inFIG. 4. In some cases, the movement of the strap along the longitudinalaxis of the tank is restricted because of the barriers that are a partof the isolator.

In some cases, the ears can be fashioned by techniques described above,such as injection molding. In some cases, the ears can be made of thesame material as other parts of the isolator. In other cases, the earscan be made of a different material than other parts of the isolator(i.e., the parts of the isolator other than the ears, such as isolator110 depicted in FIG. 2 minus ears 120). In some cases, the ears 120 canbe attached to the other parts of the isolator 110 by an adhesive. Inother cases, the ears are a part of an extruded isolator shape. In somecases, the ears 120 may be integrally formed with the rest of theisolator 110 into a unitary form.

It should be understood from the foregoing that, while particularimplementations have been illustrated and described, variousmodifications may be made thereto and are contemplated herein. It isalso not intended that the invention be limited by the specific examplesprovided within the specification. While the invention has beendescribed with reference to the aforementioned specification, thedescriptions and illustrations of embodiments of the invention hereinare not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Furthermore, it shallbe understood that all aspects of the invention are not limited to thespecific depictions, configurations or relative proportions set forthherein which depend upon a variety of conditions and variables. Variousmodifications in form and detail of the embodiments of the inventionwill be apparent to a person skilled in the art. It is thereforecontemplated that the invention shall also cover any such modifications,variations and equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fuel-holding device comprising: a tank body;and an isolator disposed circumferentially around the tank body of thefuel-holding device, wherein strand-based covers are provided around thetank body and at least a portion of the isolator.
 2. The device of claim1, wherein the isolator comprises a pair of barriers extending radiallyfrom the isolator.
 3. The device of claim 2, wherein the isolatorfurther comprises flaps adjacent to the barriers.
 4. The device of claim3, wherein the strand-based covers includes strands, and said strandsare wound around the flaps.
 5. The device of claim 3, wherein thestrand-based covers include fabric, mat, or netting.
 6. The device ofclaim 2, further comprising a strap located around the isolator betweenthe pair of barriers.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the isolator isformed of an elastomeric material.
 8. The device of claim 1, whereinisolator and the strand-based cover are secured to the tank body withaid of an adhesive.
 9. A system for securing a fuel-holding device to aframe, comprising: an isolator fastened to the fuel-holding device; astrap disposed around the circumference of isolator, wherein the strapis attached to the frame; wherein the isolator comprises i) a pair ofbarriers; and ii) ridges disposed between said barriers.
 10. The systemof claim 9, wherein the isolator further comprises a pair of flapsadjacent to the barriers.
 11. The system of claim 9, further comprisingstrand-based covers provided around at least a portion of thefuel-holding device and the isolator.
 12. The system of claim 11,wherein the strand-based covers includes strands, and said strands arewound around flaps of the isolator.
 13. The system of claim 11, whereinthe strand-based covers include fabric, mat, or netting.
 14. The systemof claim 9, wherein the isolator is fastened to the fuel-holding devicewith aid of an adhesive.
 15. The system of claim 9, wherein thefuel-holding device contains a gaseous fuel therein.
 16. The system ofclaim 15, wherein the frame is mounted on a vehicle and the gaseous fuelwithin the fuel-holding device aids in the operation of the vehicle. 17.A method of mounting a fuel-holding device comprising: providing atleast one isolator around a tank body of the fuel-holding device; andcovering the tank body and at least a portion of the isolator with astrand-based cover, thereby securing the isolator to the tank body. 18.The method of claim 17, wherein covering the tank body and the portionof the isolator includes winding strands around the tank body and theportion of the isolator.
 19. The system of claim 17, wherein theisolator is formed from an elastomeric material and includes a pair ofbarriers and flaps adjacent to the barriers.
 20. The system of claim 19,further comprising accepting a strap attached to the frame between saidbarriers, wherein the portion of the isolator between said barriersincludes ribs.